A Plant for All Seasons

Collins, Floyd; Eckley, Paul; Detweiler, Jack; ,

A Plant for All Seasons

by Floyd Collins, Wastewater Science Mgr.; Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5915 Windsor Island Rd. North, Salem, OR 97303,
Paul Eckley, Plant Engr.; Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5915 Windsor Island Rd. North, Salem, OR 97303,
Jack Detweiler, Brown & Caldwell Consulting Engineers, Eugene, OR,

Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1990, Vol. 60, Issue 1, Pg. 48-49

Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

Collins, Eckley and Detweiler describe a successful energy conservation program at the Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, Salem, Ore. By funding the $4.59 million project with a combination of State of Oregon conservation grants and loans, Salem made major plant improvements without increasing sewer rates. The loans are repaid by the $500,000 annual savings that the projects yield. The plant master plan identified the energy improvements as the initial phase of a 20 year plant expansion program. The existing plant facilities, including trickling filters constructed over 25 years ago, have been integrated as a key element in the plant's future. Innovative treatment process design provides a new level of plant operating flexibility. The plant uses a pure-oxygen activated sludge process to handle high-strength wastewater from the seasonal vegetable canning industry. During the remainder of the year, the plant uses a coupled trickling filter activated sludge (TF/AS) process for maximum energy efficiency. In its first year of operation, this arrangement reduced electrical consumption by 30%. Besides conserving energy, the `tf/as process produces the best quality effluent that the plant has ever achieved.

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